Cop Unions vs the taxpayers

 As a Town Meeting member and past member of Public Safety and Ways and Means Standing Committee's, I got the opportunity to ask questions of The current and past Police Administrations. The later, gave me dirty looks and put his hand on his holstered side arm every time I asked him a question. It was funny to see the pattern repeat.
When I had first seen the amount of overtime, sick time, comp time, stipends, and detail pay, in the e budget, I was wasn't shocked as it's been known in these parts for years... some, not all, public safety  personal were and are gaming the system.
I would imagine it takes a certain amount of guts to lay down the law.. to lawless law men. I have to admit my support for Acting Chief Steven Trask and Deputy Chief Ronald Brandolini for taking on the subjects that I have hammered Town Meeting about for some years now. I estimate the abuses have cost taxpayers10 million dollars in the past 5 years.

MWDN Jim Haddadin

FRAMINGHAM — A police union is accusing the town of unfair labor practices after the acting police chief stripped officers of the ability to work paid details in other towns. The Framingham Police Officers Union this year filed a pair of complaints with the Department of Labor Relations, alleging the town unfairly changed working conditions without going back to the bargaining table. In one of the complaints, dated Jan. 25, a lawyer representing the union wrote that the town has long allowed officers to work paid details in other municipalities. Patrol officers were previously notified when the lucrative shifts Framingham police union ¼les complaint over out-of-town details Friday Posted Mar 17, 2017 at 5:33 PM Updated Mar 17, 2017 at 7:42 PM 3/18/2017 Framingham police union files complaint over out­of­town details http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/20170317/framingham­police­union­files­complaint­over­out­of­town­details 2/3 were available. Similarly, police from other towns worked shifts in Framingham when officers from the local department weren't available. But in mid-December 2016, Acting Chief Steven Trask and Deputy Chief Ronald Brandolini informed the union president and vice president that the town would no longer allow patrol officers to work out-of-town details, according to the Jan. 25 complaint. The union was given no prior notice about the change. It alleges the town "unlawfully and unilaterally" implemented the decision, violating two provisions of state law. The union is seeking orders requiring the town to halt its new rule barring outside details and requiring police administrators to bargain any similar changes in the future. In a second complaint filed in January, the union also challenged a move by the town to eliminate stipends provided to nine police officers with special assignments. Under the most recent collective bargaining agreement with the town, up to 15 patrol officers were eligible to receive stipends of $3,500 per year if they were designated by the police chief as investigators. The union contends the town has also provided "specialist pay" in the same amount to school resource officers, the housing officer, the assistant safety officer, and the social media officer. At least 24 officers were receiving specialist pay as of January, according to the union. On Jan. 17, Trask informed nine of the officers they would no longer be eligible for the payments. In an email to the officers, Trask wrote that he had received a request to audit specialist pay, and determined that the specialist designation was "not specified" in the union's contract. A hearing officer from the Department of Labor Relations is scheduled to meet with the side on April 18 and conduct a preliminary investigation into both matters to determine if there is probable cause to issue a complaint against the town.



http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/20170317/framingham-police-union-files-complaint-over-out-of-town-details